Christmas In May

Pizza delivery guys are busy on Super Bowl Sunday.  Black Friday is the busiest day for plumbers.  Santa Claus is pretty busy on Christmas Eve.  Valentine's Day keeps florists around the country busy.  And commercial airline employees are typically busy during Thanksgiving.

But for me... I'd have to say that I'm probably the busiest at either the start or the end of the school year... which happens to be right about now.  There's all sorts of things to keep me busy.

End of the year field trips.  The grad dance.  Projects to grade.  Graduation and retirement parties to attend.  My classroom needs to be cleaned out.  Summer school curriculum needs to be prepared.  Graduation practices.  Recommendation letters to write.  And to top it off... report cards to complete.

Don't get the wrong idea... I love my profession.  The best decision I ever made was to become a teacher.  It's just that May and June can get a little crazy.

That's why I've put off opening a bunch of packages from fellow bloggers.  Yesterday was the first time in weeks that I came home and was able to spend some quality time in the office.  So I took advantage of the moment and experienced "Christmas in May".

Let's just say it was a thousand times better than busting a blaster, because each and every one of these packages were hand picked, acts of kindness from an extended family of bloggers.

And before I get too sappy and shed a tear on a Tony Gwynn card, let's go ahead and check out some cardboard...

At the end of April, Tony over at Off Hiatus Baseball Cards emailed me and thanked me for taking the time to comment on his blog.  He told me to pick a couple of cards out of his "Treasure Chest", so I grabbed this manufactured patch of Tony Gwynn and this numbered Catfish Hunter card.

Thanks Tony!  Not only for the cards... but also for taking the time to comment on my posts.  One of my favorite things about this blogging community is the interaction among us.

By now I'm sure most of you have been zapped by Zippy over at Cervin' Up Cards.  If you haven't, I'm sure it's only a matter of time.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually received his latest care package in April (Sorry Kenny... I'll make sure to make it up to you with some A-Rods).  Inside, he sent me a bunch of cards from teams I collect, but these two were easily my favorite:

Mascot cards rule... especially when they feature Stomper.  As for Mr. Gray... well I'm sure you guys understand why I'm glad to own this rookie card.  And if not... you will as soon as you see this guy pitch.  Thanks Kenny!


It's time to transition to my other favorite team... the San Diego Padres.  The past twelve months, I've interacted with a few Padres bloggers and Comatoad is one of them.  He's the author of Bleedin' Brown and Gold and in the past month, he sent me two care packages.  The first one included this awesome Gypsy Queen team set that includes my very first 2014 Tony Gwynn card:

A couple weeks later, he sent me a package containing a detailed summary of hockey's Masanori Murakami:

Comatoad... thanks for all of these awesome cards.  I actually had both of these Fukufuji cards, but I assure you they won't go to waste.  My two originals are sitting at my parent's house in Vegas.  The two you sent me have been added to my Japanese binder which is sitting three feet away from me as I type.

Last month, I published my 1,000th post and out of the blue... The Prowling Cat sent me a generous "congratulations" care package.  Like Zippy, he sent a smorgasbord of cardboard from stuff I collect.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Thanks Prowling Cat!  I don't have any business cards to send your way... but I might have a pocket schedule or two.  You can also expect some NASCAR cards in the near future.

Matthew over at Bob Walk the Plank also sent me a package honoring my 1000th post.  Inside were these four cards:

All are welcome additions to my Japanese baseball player collection.  Now Matthew... we sort of have a problem.  You told me that you don't want anything in return, but that's not going to fly.  You're one of my regular traders and I'll definitely be shipping a few Pirates cards out to your neck of the woods.  Thanks buddy!

And last but not least... I received a package from The Junior Junkie.  Like Matthew, he also hooked me up with a nice stack of cards for my Japanese PC.  Here's a taste of what he sent...

Thanks T.J.!  I'm pretty thin on Griffey's... but I'll get some Saints and maybe a few other guys on your baseball list out to you.  But you might need to be patient.

Actually... hopefully all of you in this post can bear to wait just a few more weeks.  Friday, June 13th is the last day of school.  After that... I should have a little more free time.  

Thanks again Tony, Kenny, Comatoad, Prowling Cat, Matthew, and T.J.!  I truly appreciate all of you guys taking time out of your lives to put together these packages.  Just remember... a Fuji always pays his debts.

Happy Friday and sayonara!